War on Two Fronts
by scarl3twitch
Summary: For once, the team can be sure that none of the carnage, death, or grief will find its way into the real world. The best part, M'gann thinks, is that if one of them dies, they will simply wake up, and life will continue. Just as before. [One-shot.]


**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. All characters and places belong to their respective creators.**

 _ **M'gann's perspective during the S1:E16 Failsafe, in which the team undergoes a simulated training exercise that ends in disaster. Telepathic dialogue between the team is indicated with : :, and is identical to that of the canon episode. M'gann's internal dialogue remains italicized.**_

They're at the Fortress, running through the snow. Getting to their positions.

She camouflages herself against the pale sky, stretching out her hand to telepathically disable the alien ship's communication systems.

The psychic link's been established, and she lets the team know. They're definitely better at working together now to take down the villains. As Kid would put it, they've got each other's backs.

:ETs sealed inside!: Artemis yells from behind a mound of snow. The archer dives to the side just in time to evade a blast from another alien aircraft. She returns fire, grunting with the effort.

Sometimes M'gann forgets that Artemis and Robin are still non—powered, and still human. The intense cold has to have some kind of effect on them, even if they are wearing protective suits against the frigid temperatures. Neither of them would ever admit it, though. Artemis is too stubborn, according to Earth standards, and Robin is, well, Robin.

 _Ugh. Hello Megan! It's not real._ She keeps forgetting, so she mentally reminds herself _again_ that the team isn't actually at the Fortress itself. The simulation just feels so real, enough to be mildly terrifying. She wants to dwell on everything that could possibly go wrong so she knows how to prevent it from happening, but there's no time. There's still a battle going on, even if it is only being fought on mental soil.

Aqualad springs up from beneath the ground and leaps toward the intruders, creating a fissure in the snowy terrain. Only he could actually be comfortable waiting in a dark cavern beneath the— _Megan, you're doing it again_. _Not real!_

For a minute, the Atlantean stands in the path of the firing cannon and faces disintegration, the same fate that has befallen so many humans _and_ the entire Justice League. Wolf is the first to react. The animal sinks his teeth into the cannon and yanks it aside. He may be Connor's pet, but the whole team loves Wolf just as much as his original owner.

M'gann exchanges an affirming look with her fellow comrade. No one who shows that much affection for a rescued stray should ever be branded as a clone and nothing else.

Kid gives Robin a lift to the ship, where she and Connor—wait. No. It's Superboy; they're in battle, and she can't give away the fact that they're romantically intertwined. She shakes her head and concentrates on diverting any approaching invaders while Robin analyzes the aircraft.

:Identifying weapon's structural stress points and links to the ship.: Robin pauses, waiting for the calculations to complete themselves. The hologram beeps, and he absorbs the information within seconds. She's in awe of what he can accomplish after years of training under Batman. It's unfair to expect the same of J'onn, and unrealistic to be resentful towards her uncle for not preparing her in the same way Batman prepared his protege.

Robin points at the cannon, gesturing to its weak spots. :Here, here, and here.:

Even though it's a simulation, a training exercise, she almost smiles at the fact—each of the team doing what they do best, despite the absence of the Justice League, despite the world in ruins, despite friends and allies gone.

Almost.

Kid speeds across the snow—laden ground, tripping once. Okay, maybe twice. But M'gann pretends not to notice. She can already 'hear' Artemis rolling her eyes, just as Aqualad heard the two of them glaring at each other during one of the team's earlier missions. By now, Artemis usually would have made a more explicit wisecrack, too, but this time, she doesn't bother. The situation's dire enough as is, and they don't need any distracted teammates aiding the aliens in world domination.

She catches sight of Wolf in her peripheral vision. He's bounding towards the ship, his sinewy muscles and outstretched limbs reaching to overtake a cannon that's about to fire. It's the cannon behind Superboy.

A beam radiating light like the sun engulfs the animal as he jumps off the ground, and then he's gone.

:Wolf!: She can feel the intensity of her thoughts projecting onto the other members of the team.

He's with Tornado, Batman, Canary, her uncle, and all the rest, whether it's in death or in some other dimension. Wherever they are.

Superboy looks up, immediately realizing that it would have been him if Wolf hadn't intercepted the beam.

:There was no indication of feedback,: Robin says, trying to get Superboy to meet his eyes. :I'm sorry.:

:Can't do anything for him now.: Superboy wraps both hands around the cannon that hit Wolf. :Let's go.:

He wrenches the cannon the rest of the way off the aircraft, giving M'gann a nod. It's time. If they merge the alien weaponry with the bio—ship, they have a better chance of destroying more of the invaders.

She can't help thinking that they should have grieved. Even if it is a simulation, even if only for a minute, they should have grieved. Superboy's eyes reflect a simple twinge of regret, and it's already almost nonexistent. She resists the urge to grab him by the shoulders and remind him that Wolf isn't just some unfortunate casualty. He's Superboy's best friend.

It's like Aqualad knows exactly what she's thinking. He fixes her with a warning look, reminding her that the mission is their first priority. It nearly always is. She sighs heavily, speeding over to the bio—ship with Superboy. _And that would be why I'm not team leader._

Somehow, it's okay, though. Her own guilt over not grieving dissipates, and she doesn't dwell on it again.

Superboy hovers the cannon over the ship's exterior as she places her hands on the ship itself. The steadfast aura it projects, a massive contrast to the scrambled, hostile frequencies emitted by the aliens, calms her. _It's okay. We can do this._

:Rerouting systems to integrate weapon into ship's biomatrix,: she says, steadying her hands. She soon realizes that they'll have to bring the ship out of camouflage mode, or else there's no way the cannon will connect in time. _Not exactly the best move to make when you're surrounded by alien invaders._ Then again, they're fighting on a battleground called the Fortress of Solitude, so they don't exactly have a whole lot of options.

:We'll need to de—camouflage for a few minutes,: she announces and makes the switch, only to have Robin's psychic warning register seconds later.

:May not have a few minutes.: He gestures to several incoming ships, an undercurrent of quiet urgency bleeding into his mental tone.

Aqualad lashes his twin whips together, cleaving a ship in two. :Miss Martian, open fire!:

She wants to, more than anything, but the systems aren't fully functional. Kid looks up at her from simultaneously stuffing a protein bar into his mouth and finishing off a grounded ship. _How many snacks does he keep in that suit?!_

He gives her a look as if to say 'don't ask,' and starts running towards the bio—ship.

:Can't.: She turns back to Aqualad. The panicked undercurrent to her psychic tone is far more prominent than Robin's. Then again, he does have an edge on her, being trained since nine to conceal his emotions and all. :Weapon systems are offline to incorporate the new cannon. And that's not fully integrated yet, either.:

 _Ugh! Nothing's working!_

She implores the bio—ship to hurry, transmitting the urgency of the situation through her palms that remain pressed against the ship's surface.

:Got you covered!: Artemis notches two arrows at once and sends them spiraling towards the incoming ships. For her, it's an easy target.

:Get inside! I'm almost there!: Artemis says.

It's an order. Artemis sprints in their direction, all the while keeping another arrow notched in her bow, ready to defend the team from further attack. They really do have each other's backs.

Just as M'gann offers her hand to Kid to help pull him up, Robin detects feedback from the downed ships. All three of their minds snap to one person. Time could be the only barrier between Artemis and death. Or permanent relocation to an alternate dimension. Neither are good enough options to warrant staying put.

She darts out of the ship's interior. One of the invader's cannons is still intact, and it's trained on the girl running at top speed towards the team's safe haven.

:Artemis, behind you!: M'gann cries, focusing all her efforts on warning her teammate before the archer vanishes.

But the beam reaches Artemis, engulfing her form and electrifying her body just as it did Wolf's. She's gone, too.

M'gann screams, and so does Kid. The pain is sharp, like shards of glass piercing their mental frames.

Robin's face goes slack, his arm frozen above the hologram. Superboy presses his hands to his head, like he's unable to process what just happened.

His usual level—headed composure nearly overshadowed by grief, Aqualad annihilates the ship that shot Artemis.

For an instant, it's still a simple training exercise. Nothing is truly wrong, and nothing is truly happening outside the mental realm. Then she can feel herself losing sight of the fact that it's just a simulation. Her subconscious invades the teams', and the infestation spreads. The simulation becomes reality. Artemis is gone.

 **PRESENT DAY**

M'gann remembers it all, rehashing the scenario in her mind.

Her shoulders quiver as she wraps her arms around Captain Marvel's chest. He shields her from the gazes of her uncle, of her mentors, and of her team. They look shaken, concerned, and maybe even frightened. She shivers at the thought. Frightened? Of her? She is only a sidekick; she's nothing like Connor with all his superhuman abilities.

It's the worst, most ridiculous lie she's ever told herself. She is _everything_ like Connor, and she is everything like all the otherworldly beings that call Earth their home. They have a right to be frightened.

Five other lives became dependent on her own all because of the strength of her subconscious. It was her power that put them at risk. They could have died.

 _You don't have much training. No one ever expected this. It'll all be over soon. You're fine._ _You're fine._ The thoughts circulate round and round her head as the tears continue to cascade down her cheeks. At least she doesn't have to worry about appearing weak in front of the League. After the lethal stunt she just pulled, how can any of them believe she is weak?

She can't bear to look at Robin, Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur. And she doesn't even want to be near Connor. _I hope they don't blame me. Please don't blame me. I'm sorry._

She doesn't want this ability: this raw, untamed mass of power. It's too much to handle. It's uncontrollable.

It's that kind of power that creates monsters, and she can't become more of a monster than she already is.


End file.
